TITLE: Divison of Forces
AUTHOR: Joanne
DISCLAIMER: Not mine, never will be.
RATING: At the moment, PG, but likely will go up.
SUMMARY: Obi-Wan is sent off on a mission without Anakin.
A/N: Just for the sake of removing the Padme-factor in the easiest way possible, this fic is set a bit before AotC.


Part I

Anakin could still remember the the first heavy
rainstorm he'd witnessed. It was roughly a month after
Obi-Wan had begun instructing him in the ways of the
Force. Even with all of the new knowledge he had
gained since leaving Tatooine, Anakin had still been
awed by the sight of so much rain pouring down from
the heavens. His failure to heed Obi-Wan's warning to
stay indoors had left him sick for much of the
following week.

Still, nearly ten years later, Anakin found it
impossible to remain indoors when the clouds unleashed
such a torrent. He stood on the balcony that opened
from the common room in their quarters, his right hand
held out from under the protective overhang so that
the rain spattered onto his fingertips. The rain
beaded against his skin, pooling in the indentations
between his fingers.

Bringing his hand back under the awning, Anakin shook
the moisture from the limb before removing his outer
robes. Glancing over his shoulder even though he knew
the room to be empty, Anakin stepped fully into the
rain. He tilted his head back, eyes closed and allowed
the rain to soak into him. The two tunics that he wore
received the brunt of the rain's effects, the linen
fabric offering little protection. Had it not been for
the speeders and other personal crafts zooming past
the balcony he would have shed all his clothes in
order to feel the rain more completely.

Had he seen him, Obi-Wan would have no doubt laughed
at him. His master had always found his fascination
with water amusing. Obi-Wan was an indulgent mentor,
though. When Anakin was fourteen, Obi-Wan had taken
him to one of the moons of of Endor. This moon was
riddled with rivers and waterfalls, an unexpected
treat for a boy who had grown up on a desert planet.
They had been unable to stay as long as Anakin would
have liked, but the memory remained vivid during the
years that had passed.

"I thought we had come to the agreement that standing
in the rain was decidedly harmful to an individual's
health. Yours in particular."

Anakin grimaced at the sound of Obi-Wan's voice. He
had been so caught up in his memories that he had not
paid any attention to what was happening around him.
He should have sensed, if not physically heard, his
master's return to their shared quarters.

Turning slowly, Anakin met Obi-Wan's gaze briefly
before bowing his head. "I sought to clear my mind,
release any negative thoughts in my subconscious."

"A noble intention," Obi-Wan conceded, the corners of
his lips curving upwards ever so slightly. "I would
suggest in the future, though, that you seek such
meditations in the fresher. There you will at least be
able to control the temperature of the water. Come
now, back indoors."

With one final glance skyward, Anakin reluctantly
stepped back into the building. Obi-Wan ushered him
immediately towards the fresher, ordering him to
removed his soaked clothes while he began to pat the
younger man dry with a fresh towel. This last act was
done in silence. Whatever his master's intentions
were, Anakin could not sense. Anakin meanwhile allowed
himself a small measure of comfort as Obi-Wan smoothed
the towel over his body, from the top of his head to
the soles of his feet. He reveled in every touch,
which seemed to be a caress.

"You, my young padawan, will one day be the death of
me," Obi-Wan said lightly as he rose to his full
height which, over the past year, had become shorter
than Anakin's own. "Now go put on some dry clothes
while I prepare you something hot to drink."

Anakin did as he was instructed without second
thought. Entering his own sleeping quarters he dressed
in a pair of dark brown trousers and a loose, black
tunic. His feet he left bare, preferring to feel of
the ground beneath his soles. He felt far more
grounded barefoot, linking him to the world around him
not only through the Force, but through physical
contact as well.

As he emerged into the common area a short while
later, Obi-Wan was already seated on the sofa. Anakin
himself felt oddly subdued as he padded across the
room, stopping near the arm of the sofa opposite from
where his master sat. His hesitation was long enough
for Obi-Wan to notice and look up. Before their eyes
had a chance to meet, Anakin scurried around the arm
of the sofa, stepping one foot onto the cushion
nearest his end, swinging the rest of his body up so
that he sat cross-legged. It surprised him that with
this position he faced Obi-Wan fully for he had meant
to face away from the older man.

"Much better, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured, handing over
one of the steaming mugs in his hands. "It has been
some time since you partook in that particular
activity."

Anakin stared down into the mug he held in his lap.
"You had been stranded on that system in the Outer Rim
and no one could get in contact with you. The Council
feared the worst."

"When in fact it had simply been my own less than
exemplar piloting skills that led to the whole
mishap," Obi-Wan admitted, his lips quirking slightly.
"I believe that is how you managed to convince the
Council that you should be allowed to upgrade my
arfour unit with all of those after market
alterations. I have not crashed a starfighter or
personal shuttle since. Which begs the question of
what it is that is troubling you this time."

"I do not care much for this new mission you have been
given," Anakin admitted, pursing his lips.

Obi-Wan twisted his upper body so that he faced the
younger man more fully. Then he lifted his left hand,
touching it to Anakin's temple. Anakin leaned
immediately into the touch, savouring the wash of
comfort that it filled him with. He focused on the
feel of his master's fingertips which did not stray
far from his temple, venturing briefly into his
short-cropped hair for a moment before returning to
their earlier location.

"It will only be for a few days, Anakin. Not even a
full week," Obi-Wan reminded him, not withdrawing his
hand as Anakin tilted his head into the Jedi's palm.
"I had thought you would rejoice from the reprieve you
have been given from my constant supervision."

"The Council's orders are too contradictory. They say
that I may not accompany you because it is too
dangerous, yet they send you alone. If something
should go wrong you could be killed or captured before
the Council even knew about it." Anakin turned his
face fully into Obi-Wan's palm so that the older man
would not see the tears glittering in his eyes. "They
should not endanger you so."

Obi-Wan shifted about slightly and then Anakin felt
the mug being extracted from his hands. Even as
Obi-Wan moved to set the mug aside he did not remove
his hand from Anakin's cheek, something which greatly
comforted the younger man. Obi-Wan fanned his fingers
across Anakin's still exposed cheek, thumb ghosting
over the upper swell of his cheekbone.

"You worry needlessly, Anakin. I have been to this
system before and have friends there," his master
assured him as he carefully nudged Anakin's head back
around to face him.

Anakin blinked repeatedly to hide his tears before
meeting Obi-Wan's gaze. "If it is so safe why am I not
permitted to accompany you? I am your padawan learner
and I can hardly be expected to learn if I am stuck
here on Coruscant."

Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled with amusement that
immediately helped to soothe his nerves. "You are, as
you so delicately put it, 'stuck here' because of your
penchant for finding trouble where none otherwise
exists."

"Oh."

"Precisely," Obi-Wan grinned, allowing his right arm
to fall away. His left hand remained where it was and
he leaned his elbow against the back of the sofa to
support it. "Matters are somewhat delicate at the
moment and both the Council and the Senate would
prefer it if we could refrain from more aggressive
negotiations for the time being."

While he understood the Council's logic, Anakin didn't
agree with it. He would not agree to anything that
left Obi-Wan trapped on an alien planet with no
back-up. If anything should go wrong on the mission,
Obi-Wan could be in serious trouble before any aid the
Council could send would arrive. Imprisonment,
torture, death; all of those were practically
guarantees that the Council was ensuring by sending
Obi-Wan to the Ranth'fer system alone.

"You could tell the Council that you were unaware that
I had hidden myself on your shuttle," Anakin
suggested, staring up at his master hopefully.

Obi-Wan smiled at him fondly, but still shook his
head. "I cannot allow it, Anakin, and you know it. The
Council has made its decision and it is not for us to
question it."

Though he still felt the need to argue, Anakin
remained silent. There was no point to it. Obi-Wan
would follow the Council's directives above all else.
And while Anakin respected his master for his utter
faith in his beliefs, it was at times utterly
frustrating. Anakin couldn't do that. Like Obi-Wan he
believed in the philosophies of the Order, but he
couldn't follow them as steadfastly as his master.
After ten years it was unlikely that he ever would.

"Do not think for one moment that I believe you have
given up so easily," Obi-Wan chided, leaning back to
retrieve the mugs of tea. "You are far too tenacious,
my young padawan."

"You are my master. It is natural that I should be
concerned for you."

Obi-Wan nodded his head slightly and took a minute sip
of his tea. "So I see that it is my sentiments you
will play against. How very underhanded of you."

Anakin's smile was unrepentant even if it didn't
entirely reach his eyes. "I am only doing as I myself
was taught, master. Was it not you who used such
tactics to reveal to me the truth of Palpatine's
intentions?"

"I merely appealed to your better judgment," Obi-Wan
amended, his lips tilted up in a slight smile. "I was
most relieved to find some of it remaining."

Anakin scowled, but did not retaliate verbally. He was
content at the moment to enjoy Obi-Wan's presence for
as long as it would be allowed. For Anakin to simply
be near his master was a soothing balm to his soul. It
had been so for many years. There had been many nights
those first few months on Coruscant that Anakin had
been woken by nightmares. Those nights, once he had
woken, Anakin had climbed into Obi-Wan's bed where
he'd sleep peacefully until dawn. Even when he was
older, Obi-Wan would not turn him away.

That night was no exception. The exception was that he
did not even attempt to sleep in his own bed. He
followed Obi-Wan into his sleeping quarters, hovering
near the door until his master noticed him. For a
time, Obi-Wan didn't say a word as he stripped out of
his clothing, donning a pair of loose sleep pants.

"You do not intend to sleep fully dressed, do you?"

Anakin released a shuddering breath, dispelling his
fears into the Force. He could not manage to rid
himself of all his fears, though. Not with Obi-Wan
still intending to leave come morning. He could not
help but fear for his master.

"You worry too much, Anakin," Obi-Wan murmured against
his temple as he drew the younger man into his arms.
"It is not for a Jedi to worry so over matters that
are not within their control."

"It would be within my control if the Council would
allow me to accompany you to Ranth'fer," Anakin
protested as he attempted to mold his body to
Obi-Wan's.

"This is likely a test for you. It is the Council's
way of seeing whether you will obey orders that are
not necessarily to your liking," Obi-Wan offered,
sinking his fingers into Anakin's hair. "It is a test
we all must endure at some point during our times as
padawans. As you can well imagine, mine involved a
great deal of flying.

Anakin allowed himself a brief smile. He had never
been able to comprehend how a being who had traveled
the galaxy as extensively as his master could be so
nervous about flying. Anakin suspected that there had
been some type of crash or accident when Obi-Wan had
been younger; some mishap that had created his
master's well documented phobia.

Lying wrapped in Obi-Wan's arms, Anakin began to feel
much more relaxed. The uneasy humming that had been
buzzing in the back of his mind faded almost to
non-existence. As he hadn't wanted to leave Obi-Wan
for the time it would take to go to his own room,
Anakin wore a pair of sleep pants borrowed from the
older man. The bed they lay in was no different than
the single bed in Anakin's own room. Jedi were not
meant to form attachments so there was no need to give
Obi-Wan a larger bed. Anakin was glad that the bed was
small as it gave him an excuse to lie so close to
Obi-Wan that they were pressed together from shoulders
to knees, their legs entwined.

And though he had stopped wishing for things long ago,
Anakin pleaded with the Force to keep his master safe
on his mission to Ranth'fer.

TBC...?


Part II


When he awoke in the morning, Anakin was alone.
Reaching out with the Force he couldn’t sense Obi-Wan
anywhere in their quarters, or in the Jedi Temple
itself. Through their training bond he could still
feel his master's presence, though at a great
distance. He was likely already nearing Ranth'fer.

Rolling onto his stomach, Anakin hugged Obi-Wan's
pillow to him, inhaling his master's scent. He had no
desire to get up yet. It was not very Jedi-like to
sulk, but Anakin did not feel much like a Jedi at the
moment. As long as he remained still and silent he
could sense Obi-Wan more clearly.

He was a Jedi, though, and he had responsibilities
that eventually drove him from the comfort of
Obi-Wan's bed. He rolled off the mattress, landing
crouched next to the bed. Stretching his arms over his
head, Anakin rose up to his full height as he allowed
the limbs to drop back down to his sides. It felt
strange to be in Obi-Wan's room without the older man
being there. He never would have considered entering
his master's quarters unless Obi-Wan himself was in
the room. The two men respected one another's privacy
which Anakin was grateful for. As his master, Obi-Wan
would have had every right to enter Anakin's room
without permission.

As he brought a hand up to cover a yawn, Anakin
noticed a datapad lying on the floor just in front of
the door. Knowing that Obi-Wan would not leave one
lying about, Anakin hurried over to see what message
his master had left for him. It was a voice recording
rather than the schedule Anakin had expected it to be.

**"I thought it would be best if I left before you
awoke in order to us further arguments. The will of
the Council is its own and I would not have you act
against it. I am fully aware of the dangers on
Ranth'fer and will not place myself in danger
unnecessarily. On this you have my sworn word. Attend
to your studies and do not fret overmuch. I will
return as soon as I am able. May the Force be with
you, Anakin."**

"And with you as well, my master," Anakin murmured
once the recording had finished.

~*~*~

Obi-Wan relaxed when his shuttle set down on the
desert landscape of Ranth'fer. There was still a great
deal of danger involved in this mission, but Obi-Wan
was simply relieved to once again be on solid ground.
After giving instructions to his flight crew to wait
for his return, Obi-Wan disembarked, heading directly
to the nearby settlement. According to new
intelligence, the Council had received the leaders of
the Trade Federation and other separatist supporters
had been meeting on the obscure planet. And while
there had been no open conflict between the two
factions, the Jedi Council was concerned nonetheless.

What had Obi-Wan the most concerned was that Anakin
had not been permitted to accompany him on this
mission. From what he understood it was the Senate
that had thought it best to send a single Jedi rather
than a master and padawan pair. The Council had
agreed, deciding that subtlety was the best course.
Obi-Wan had to trust that the Council was acting of
its own accord and not merely following the directives
of the Senate.

In the course of the past year Obi-Wan had made
himself a very powerful enemy in the Senate. He was
the one who had unmasked the Supreme Chancellor's
intentions for Anakin. Palpatine would have made
Anakin his unwitting spy. The boy could be far too
trusting to those he believed his friends and
Palpatine had made sure to gain Anakin's friendship
long ago. The Chancellor had then used that bond to
his advantage, coaxing information out of Anakin under
the guise of friendship.

**"Palpatine is my friend, master. He would not ask me
to betray the Order," Anakin insisted hotly, stalking
about the common room of their quarters.

"Not outright, no," Obi-Wan conceded. "The Chancellor
is a politician, though, and not all things that they
do are meant to be obvious. At least not among the
successful of their trade."**

It was Palpatine himself who had ultimately revealed
his deceptions. The aging politician had been far too
confident of his hold over Anakin and tried to turn
him against Obi-Wan. Palpatine had claimed that
Obi-Wan was holding him back from achieving his full
potential so that he would not be outdone by a mere
upstart of a boy. He then suggested that Anakin bring
his case before the Council and request a new master.

**"Obi-Wan loves me."

"Obi-Wan uses you. You are the Chosen One, my dear
boy, and his prestige is enhanced by his position as
your master. It is a role that he fears to lose and so
he keeps you bound to him as a padawan when you are
clearly more powerful than any other Jedi on the
Council. It is a conspiracy against you, Anakin,"
Palpatine attempted to convince the younger man.

"If you had any concept of the Jedi Code or Obi-Wan
you would realize just how false that statement is.
Obi-Wan treats me as an equal in almost all things."

"Almost," Palpatine stressed.

"I'm a student. There is much that I still need to
learn and I would not choose to learn from anyone but
Obi-Wan."**

Obi-Wan learned about this all afterwards, Anakin
confessing it to him later that night. Anakin had been
frantic, needing to prove to himself that Palpatine
had been mistaken. That night had been the first in
many years that Anakin had slept in Obi-Wan's bed,
seeking comfort from his master in the wake of uneasy
dreams. It was not in him to deny Anakin when the boy
asked for so little.

Eager to return to Coruscant, Obi-Wan hurried towards
the settlement. As it was nearing dusk it was safer to
be within the settlement walls once the sun set. There
was a sudden chill wind that slammed into Obi-Wan's
face. He pulled the hood of his cloak down over his
forehead and wrapped it more tightly around his body.
There was something ominous about the wind; a foulness
that seemed to surround Obi-Wan. It had no source that
he could discern and that worried the Jedi most.

~*~*~

"It has been reported that Master Kenobi has reached
Ranth'fer, my lord," Palpatine's secretary announced
as he entered the Chancellor's office.

Palpatine looked up from his work, a slow smile
spreading across his lips. "Very good. I trust that
you have informed our contacts there."

"Yes, my lord. They are searching out Master Kenobi at
this very instant."

~*~*~

"Uneasy, you are, young Skywalker."

Anakin turned away from the fountain, his fingers
still dipped into the pool at the fountain's base. He
didn't deny Yoda's claim, pursing his lips instead as
he glanced down at the floor. He had come to the
meditation room in hopes of clearing his mind enough
to better focus on his bond with Obi-Wan.

"Worry for you master, you do."

"Why did the Council send him to the Ranth'fer system
alone?" Anakin demanded of the minute Jedi master. "I
should have been allowed to accompany him. That's the
nature of a master/padawan relationship."

"Correct in this, you are. And you with Obi-Wan, we
should have," Yoda admitted, taking hold of his
walking stick with both hands and leaning his weight
on it.

Rather than feeling relieved to have himself
vindicated, Anakin only became more worried about his
master. Someone had purposely made the decision to
place Obi-Wan in danger. The Jedi Council had
consented to place one of their own in a dangerous
situation without any immediate support.

"Why wasn't I sent with him?"

"Order of the Senate, it was," Yoda informed the young
man. "Less chance of discovery with only one Jedi,
there is. Unfortunately, dangerous to the single
Jedi."

Anakin shot to his feet, water from the fountain
splashing against his leg. "The Senate ordered this?
Since when does the Senate have such control over the
Jedi?"

"Control yourself, young Skywalker, you must. To give
into such anger is to give into the Dark Side. A
danger this is, with power as great as yours," Yoda
cautioned, stepping into the path of Anakin's restless
pacing. "Be calm, center yourself. Fine Obi-Wan will
be. Strong with the Force, he is. Worry not, return to
us your master will."

While others may have been reassured by the Jedi
Master's words, Anakin could find no comfort in them.
They were only words. Hollow words at that because
they would not protect Obi-Wan from the dangers that
awaited him in the Outer Rim.

"If you will excuse me, Master, I have lessons to
attend to," Anakin murmured, bowing to the smaller
being.

"Attend to your lessons, you should. Expect it,
Obi-Wan would."

A brief smile flickered across Anakin's lips at the
truth of Yoda's words. Obi-Wan was a very strict
taskmaster and would be upset if Anakin fell behind in
his lessons. Already he could envision the lecture he
would receive if he didn't follow the schedule his
master had set up for him in his usual meticulous
manner.

~*~*~

Obi-Wan strode through the merchant sector of the
settlement in search of the one belonging to Shinda
Ma'ha, a spice trader he had met on a previous visit
to Ranth'fer. Shinda was quite adept at discovering
what politicians and aristocrats would rather keep
from the general public. Obi-Wan hoped that she would
have the information that would save him much
unnecessary time in the Ranth'fer system. Like many
other systems in the Outer Rim, Ranth'fer was a haven
for criminals and rather unsavory business practices.

"And here I was hoping that the Republic had forgotten
about us."

Obi-Wan stopped in his tracks, a smile curving his
lips. Rotating on his heel, he turned towards the
blue-haired humanoid. What confused him was not that
her hair was not deep shade of violet, but that she
was holding a blaster aimed at his mid-section.

"I was not aware that we had parted on such poor
terms," Obi-Wan mused, holding his hands at his sides
so as not to provoke her. "I myself quite enjoyed our
time together."

"You cost me a lot of customers," Shinda hissed,
advancing a step towards the Jedi.

"Oh."

"I feel that it is only right that I return the
favour," she informed him, her aim shifting upwards so
that the blaster was now aimed roughly at Obi-Wan's
forehead.

Obi-Wan smiled genially, his right hand twitching a
fraction of an inch towards his lightsaber.
"Unfortunately, in my line of work I am without
customers. I merely aid those in need of my services.
However, since there is no fee, I hardly think they
count as customers."

The comment, and a second movement of his hand, caused
Shinda to redirect her blaster once again. She fired
that time, the bolt of energy striking Obi-Wan across
the top of his hand. Forcing aside the pain, he
reached quietly for his lightsaber which he had out
and ignited a moment later. Obi-Wan blocked the two
subsequent shots fired on him, the third catching him
off guard as it was fired from behind him. Once again
it was his right hand that bore the brunt of the
energy blast, momentarily loosening his hold on his
lightsaber. Obi-Wan tightened his grip reflexively and
jumped upwards, landing on the roof of the stall
behind him. From that position he was able to see the
ones who were firing on him.

Unsure of what was going on, Obi-Wan was reluctant to
mount any type of offensive. If it became necessary he
would, but until then he would continue to block the
blasts Shinda and her companion were firing at him.
However, Shinda was smarter than he had given her
credit for. Realizing that she couldn't get a clean
shot at him, she shot out one of the stall's supports.
Obi-Wan predicted her intentions in time, flipping up
backwards to land on the edge of the roof behind him.

So intent on holding his balance on the slim ledge,
Obi-Wan was not able to react in time as one bolt
struck him in the left shoulder, throwing him off
balance. A second grazed his hip and he started to
fall. Whatever type of landing he made, Obi-Wan didn't
know. Something impacted against his temple and his
vision went black.


Part III


"My lord, Master Kenobi is now in our possession."

From where he stood overlooking the cityscape of
Coruscant, Palpatine could not stop the grin that
spread across his features. "Good. Very good. See to
it that Kenobi is removed from Ranth'fer as soon as
possible. There must be no way for young Skywalker to
track his master's path from the system."

Turning away from the window, Palpatine strode towards
a console in the center of his office which projected
a small blue hologram of Shinda Ma'ha.

"We simply await the arrival of the slavers and Kenobi
will be taken from Ranth'fer," the trader assured him.

"Once I have confirmation that Kenobi is in the hands
of the slavers you will be pain handsomely for your
efforts."

"I will contact you again once Master Kenobi is off
Ranth'fer."

The communication finished, Palpatine returned to the
window. Anakin Skywalker would be vulnerable. He was
an apprentice without a master. Beyond that he was a
deeply feeling young man, one who cared greatly for
his master and would be thrown at the loss of his
beloved mentor. And he would blame the Jedi Council
for Obi-Wan's loss. Anakin would be easily turned to
the dark side in the wake of such events.

Palpatine felt almost giddy with the knowledge that
soon the Jedi's so-called Chosen One would be at his
beck and call.



Unconscious, it was difficult to perceive Obi-Wan
Kenobi as any type of threat. Unconscious he was
simply another human, albeit a highly defenseless one.
After Shinda and her companions had dug him out of the
remains of the wooden stall they had loaded the
wounded Jedi into a crate and transported him to a
hanger on the edge of the settlement. The slavers from
Quortho were scheduled to land there after nightfall
and then taken Kenobi to another system in the Outer
Rim where the Jedi would not think to look for their
missing comrade. Soon they would not have the man
power to spare in the search for a single Jedi.

"Burn anything that could identify him as a Jedi,"
Shinda ordered, fingering the lightsaber that she had
rescued from the rubble. She tucked it into her belt
as she strode across the room to the large tool boxes
that stood against the hanger's interior wall. "His
robes, his belt.... He has to look like a common human
slave." From the first of the boxes she removed a
replacement blade for one of the man cutting devices
stored in that particular box. "I will ensure that his
Jedi friends have a difficult time recognizing him."

Shinda watched rather gleefully as Kenobi was
unceremoniously flipped onto his stomach and stripped
of his distinctive Jedi cloak, belt and tunics. While
the others were busy burning the garments, Shinda
straddled Kenobi's torso and began hacking away at his
hair. When she was finished the copper locks were
shorn to the scalp in some places, longer in others.
Content with that, Shinda rose up off the unconscious
Jedi and rolled him onto his back. The left side of
his face was smeared with blood that had dried and
matted into his beard. While the blood remained when
Shinda rose off Kenobi a second time, the beard was no
more. Obi-Wan Kenobi hardly appeared the noble Jedi
Master he had been an hour before.



All was chaos around him. Shouting, the sounds of
crashes, the rumblings of large objects. Someone
stumbled over his leg and he curled in on himself to
protect his body from further harm. That simple
movement sent a flash of pain through his veins,
originating from his head. Opening his eyes proved to
be an even more difficult challenge. As the light
seeped passed his swollen eyelids it felt as though
his very retinas were being scorched.

"You're late, Mantu."

"There was a problem with the ship."

"It's a rust heap. You need a new one."

"From what I hear it doesn't matter if this guy
crashes and burns."

"No killing him. Lord Sidious wants Kenobi alive. For
now at least."

It took a few goings over but he was able to figure
out their conversation. Not that it relieved him in
any way. A man named Sidious mean to kill him, but for
what reason remained unknown. Other parts of their
conversation he didn't understand in the least. It was
difficult to focus. His awareness faded in and out and
it was during one of those moments when he was unaware
that he found himself flipped over onto his stomach.
He began to panic once he realized his position,
struggling against the many sets of hands that held
him down. A cry rose up from his throat, wordless and
frenzied, as his hands were dragged behind his back
and bound in place. That done he was turned onto his
back, his body arching upwards as a result of his
bound limbs.

As his eyes flicked over the shapes moving around him,
they locked on one figure in particular. A tall man
wearing dark clothing moved steadily towards him,
something clasped in his hands. It took his frantic
mind time to recognize the collar which the man
obvious meant to place around his throat. His panicked
state increased and he struggled furiously to free his
arms. His fights were quelled by two sets of hands
holding him still at his hips, pressing his wrists
painfully into the ground. A few of his fingers felt
as though they would be snapped as a result of their
awkward positioning.

"Why are you doing this?" he demanded bringing his
chin down against his chest to make it more difficult
to put the collar on him.

"Hush now, Obi-Wan. This is for your own good."

She nodded to someone that he couldn't see then and
his head was yanked back, freeing up his neck. He
began screaming and thrashing about as best as he was
able. He begged, pleaded, for someone to help him,
shouting as loud as he could. It was in vain, though.
No one meant to help him.

At the very last moment, just before the collar was
placed round his neck, he did as his instincts
insisted. While it was not vocal, he shouted. A long
scream in his mind that carried a single name. Anakin.

He imaged himself a flicker of a response and then the
collar was snapped in place and the whole world around
him was muted.



Halfway across the galaxy, in the middle of a training
session, Anakin dropped to his knees. His lightsaber
tumbled from suddenly nerveless fingers and he could
not hear the shocked voices raised around him. Anakin
was only aware of the absolute silence that had
suddenly descended upon his training bond with
Obi-Wan. The quiet humming, which had always been such
a comfort for him, was gone, silenced in a single
instant.

"Obi-Wan...."

When he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, Anakin
stumbled backwards, falling back onto the tiles. He
sent a mental shove towards the bond, screaming his
master's name. There was no response. Not even a
flicker of that former bond.

"A great disturbance in the Force," Yoda mused, the
voice breaking through the fog that had surrounded
Anakin's senses. "Silenced, a Jedi has been."

"Don't say that," Anakin cried as he scrambled to his
feet. "I will not believe that he is dead. It's
impossible. Nothing has happened to Obi-Wan."

"Named Obi-Wan, I did not. Felt your master's loss you
did," Yoda murmured, his voice an accusation in
Anakin's ears.

An accusation that he did not take well.

In a single movement Anakin was on his feet. He
stalked towards the ancient green Jedi, aware of
nothing but the fury that consumed him. The Council
had bowed to the whims of the Senate and placed
Obi-Wan in needless danger. However, a large portion
of that rage was directed at himself. He had not
insisted enough. He should have done as his instincts
bade him and gone with Obi-Wan to Ranth'fer.

"I'm going to the Ranth'fer system," Anakin announced,
calling his lightsaber back into his hand with the
Force.

Yoda immediately shook his head. "Permitted are you
not. A padawan only are you. Send others, the Council
will."

"So you'll wait," Anakin accused, scowling at the
small creature. "You'll risk his life when it's
already in danger.

"Disperse your emotions, you must," Yoda instructed.
"Such feelings--"

Anakin didn't stay to wait out Yoda's speech as he
already knew its contents. Since he was a boy he had
been lectured about controlling his emotions. The Jedi
would make of him an unfeeling machine, something
which Anakin could not bear. Obi-Wan had ceased to
enforce the harsh mandate some years back. Within the
relative safety of their quarters, Obi-Wan would offer
affection when it was necessary. Or, more precisely,
when Anakin was in need of it. To be the Chosen One
was not an honoured title. The jealousies of the
younglings and padawans alike had always been a
constant. For a long time he had possessed a great
deal of power without control. Learning control had
been a long process as Anakin was several years behind
his peers who had been trained in the ways of the
Force since their earliest years. When he had gained
control, the jealousy had only increased and had, at
times, become unbearable for him. Obi-Wan had offered
a balance to that aggression, giving him far more
affection than was proper for a master.

Leaving the training room, Anakin hurried immediately
to the landing hanger. He would not wait for the
Council to decide what to do. When he returned to
Coruscant, Anakin would face whatever punishment the
Council insisted upon so long as Obi-Wan was safe with
him.



In his office below the Senate building, Palpatine
paused in his work, a slow smile spreading across his
face. He could easily feel the rage that consumed
young Anakin Skywalker. The dark Force sang with it.
The Jedi Council had made a grievous mistake in
separating Anakin from his master. It had been even
more foolhardy for them to send a solitary Jedi to a
system where loyalties could be bought so easily.

The Council had done their job so well that all
Palpatine had to do was sit back and wait for the
right time to seduce Anakin to the dark side of the
Force. With Obi-Wan lost amidst the countless slaves
that populated the Outer Rim systems, the boy would
believe his master dead. Even Palpatine had been able
to sense the moment the slavers had placed the Force
inhibiting collar on Obi-Wan. Tuned in as he was to
Anakin and Obi-Wan's Force signatures he had sensed
the very instant when the older Jedi's silenced.

All that he waited for now was for Anakin to come
demanding help in rescuing Obi-Wan. Knowing Anakin as
well as he did, Palpatine knew that the young man
would not wait for the Jedi Council to mount its own
rescue mission. The boy would have no stomach for the
long debates that would be needed before the Council
could reach a decision about what to do about this
turn of events. With luck the Council would refuse to
acknowledge that Obi-Wan had even survived whatever
mishap had befallen him on the Ranth'fer system.

"My lord Chancellor," his secretary spoke up as he
entered the office then, the words hesitant. "I
thought it best to inform you that Padawan Skywalker
is currently on route the Ranth'fer system."

Palpatine scowled briefly, clenching his fist
momentarily. Anakin was far more hardheaded than he
had given him credit for.

"I need you to set a course for the Ranth'fer system,
artoo," Anakin said into the comunit as he navigated
his temporarily commandeered starfighter out of
Coruscant's atmosphere. "We're going after Obi-Wan."

Part IV

He had been dumped rather unceremoniously into the
cargo hold. Not that he had expected any type of
considerations. He was a slave after all and slaves
did not warrant any type of considerations. Yet even
as those thoughts sped through his mind they made him
uneasy. As though he should not be courting such
thoughts. Why, though, he could not fathom.

The image of a face flickered before his eyes, in and
out of focus. A face that he felt he should have
recognized. Blue eyes surrounded by dark, nearly
black, lashes gazed at him with enough intensity as
though they meant to pierce him. He wondered if this
man was the same Anakin who his mind told him meant
safety.

His shoulders ached from the position the binders
forced them in. The cold metal of the ship's hull
offered no comfort either. There was very little heat
in the compartment and clad only in trousers and boots
he had felt the cold immediately. When the ship had
first taken off his skin had goosepimpled, but after
several hours he felt numb all over. He knew that it
wasn't good for him to remain in such conditions for
an extended period of time and as he didn't know where
he was being taken he could not determine how long
he'd be stuck in the cargo hold.

Desperate to find some way to ignore the cold and
remain conscious, he tried to clear his mind of
everything but his current predicament. It wasn't a
difficult task as there was not much beyond the past
few hours that he could recall. He knew only that he
was a slave and that face. The woman had called him
Ob-Wan so he could only assume that it was his name.
Aside from her, no one had spoken to him, hauling him
about and shoving him in place of offering
instructions or making requests. Forcing away such
thoughts, he squared his shoulders as best as he was
able against the restraint of the binders and breathed
deeply, centering himself. It was a futile act,
though, for he felt no sense of calm, only the void
that had filled him since the collar had been placed
about his neck.



Shinda Ma'ha strode confidently through the corridors
of the Senate building. She had never before been to
Coruscant, preferring the control she wielded on her
own planet. The money she was to be paid for her role
in Kenobi's capture made the trip worthwhile, though.
She could very easily retire with the money she was
going to be paid for what had amounted to a simple
afternoon's work. What surprised her most about the
job Lord Sidious had offered her was the role the
Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic played.
The senator already ruled nearly all of the galaxy and
rationally had no need to side with the Sith lord.

"You would be the spice trader, I presume," a stately
middle-aged man said as he headed to intercept her in
the corridor.

Shinda crossed her arms over her chest. "I would be."

"Very good. Please follow me."

Shinda was redirected down a different hallway which
ended up turning her around in almost the exact
direction she had come. The man did not say a word to
her the entire way now that he had learned her
identity. The passageway was a labyrinth of twists and
turns that went deep into the building taking her well
below the main level until at last they arrived at an
ornate door.

"Wait here a moment and I will announce you."

It was all a trifle overdone given the job she had
performed for the Chancellor and the Sith lord, but
she complied. After a minute or so the man returned,
nodding for her to enter.

Chancellor Palpatine was rising from his desk as
Shinda entered the office. She watched him as he
appeared to slither across the distance between them,
his hands clasped before him. "I trust that there were
no problems."

Reaching into her trenchcoat, Shinda took out
Obi-Wan's lightsaber. "No trouble whatsoever. It was
remarkably easy given his reputation. He is currently
on his way to Tatooine and a tribe of Tusken raiders
who I am told will ensure that he suffers greatly
before his end."

"You have done well, my dear," Palpatine enthused as
he lifted the lightsaber from her outstretched hands.
"Very well indeed. I will see to it that this
lightsaber finds its way into the proper hands."



It wasn't difficult for Anakin to find Obi-Wan's ship.
It would have been difficult to hide it in the
desolate landscape. The rising sun reflected off the
craft, reflecting a starburst of light as Anakin
brought the ship down. There was no sign of the flight
crew nor were there any of a struggle. That meant
whatever had happened to Obi-Wan hadn't occurred on
the settlement outskirts but within its walls. At the
present Anakin hadn't determined whether that was good
or bad. In terms of locating witnesses it could prove
helpful. That same advantage could also be detrimental
in a place with the reputation of Ranth'fer. If Anakin
had learned anything growing up on Tatooine it was
that criminals stuck together.

"Come on, Artoo. You're less likely to end up full of
sand on Obi-Wan's shuttle," Anakin said as he
unstrapped the safety harness.

R2-D2 let out a series of whirs and clicks before
launching himself from his compartment on the
starfighter. The droid was already moving towards the
shuttle before Anakin was even out of the cockpit.

Setting foot on the planet himself, Anakin turned to
see the flight crew from the other ship standing in
the open hatchway of their own craft. At the sight of
them Anakin felt a stirring of anger. The men seemed
more confused by his presence than anything, as though
there was no need for his presence on Ranth'fer.

"Padawan Skywalker, what are you doing here?" Captain
Zeno asked as Anakin stalked towards the ship. "I was
under the impression that Master Kenobi was on a solo
mission."

"Where is my master?" Anakin demanded, not slowing his
pace a bit.

Zeno pointed towards the trading settlement. "He
went--"

"Where is Obi-Wan?"

"Skywalker--"

Anakin had his lightsaber out and ignited, the very
end of it pointed towards Zeno. "I don't want your
excuses. I want to know where Obi-Wan is. Something
happened to him and I want to know what it was."

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking
about." Zeno's words were genuine, his panic real.

"The training bond with my master has been severed and
neither myself nor Master Yoda can sense his Force
signature," Anakin growled, his grip on his lightsaber
tightening. "Now that obviously indicates that
something has happened to him. As you are his escourts
you should know what has become of him."

Zeno and the rest of the flight crew were cowering in
fear, but Anakin could not find it in him to restrain
his fury. These men were meant to have protected
Obi-Wan during their separation and they had done a
poor job of it. The Council may have trusted these
men, but like his own trust in the Council, his
confidence in these men was lacking.

"Artoo, stay here with the ships," Anakin instructed
as he disengaged his lightsaber, strapping it once
again to his belt. "I'll be back as soon as I find
Obi-Wan."

Drawing his cloak tightly around himself, Anakin
stalked towards the nearby fortifications of the trade
center.



"I find it hard to believe that this is the might
Obi-Wan Kenobi," a man he vaguely recalled being named
Mantu sneered as he crouched down in front of him.
"You hardly match up to your reputation now."

Obi-Wan regarded the slaver silently. There was no
response he could give as he was not fully aware of
events or even the reputation that Mantu spoke of. It
was all just empty threats and taunts that he could
not yet respond to. So as to not give the slaver more
power than he already possessed Obi-Wan decided that
it was in his best interest to remain silent. It would
only make the situation worse if he managed to
antagonize them further.

"Bring him."

Without any consideration for his injuries, Obi-Wan
was hauled upright and slammed against the wall. He
winced as the binders were forced into the small of
his back. Then, once they had shown the proper amount
of malevolence towards him, he was hauled out of the
cargo hold. Obi-Wan was being forced along at a much
quicker pace than his legs could follow. He stumbled
repeatedly and was dragged as a result. Being dragged
put unwanted pressure on his wounded shoulder. How he
had injured his left shoulder was still in question.
As well as the wounds to his hand, hip and temple.
With the exception of the head injury all of the
others appeared to have been made by a blaster. Each
wound bore the distinctive scorch marks of the weapon.

The landscape, when they reached the hatchway, was an
endless desert, spotted every so often by dunes.
Shifting his gaze downwards, to the very end of the
ramp, he could see a horde of small, yet fearsome,
looking creatures. Obi-Wan panicked at the sight of
them and dug his heels in as best as he was able.
Mantu and the other slavers merely laughed at his
feeble attempts and threw him bodily down the ramp.
Without his arms to balance himself, Obi-Wan rolled,
his right shoulder connecting painfully with the metal
ramp, his hip jarring next before his body eventually
settled into a roll. He skidded on the scorching sand
stomach first and was immediately kicked by one of the
small creatures to halt his progress.

Before he could even begin to right himself so as to
see his new captors, Obi-Wan heard the ramp being
retracted back into the ship. Struggling still harder
he was met by a wave of dust as the slaver's transport
took off.

Obi-Wan watched the shuttle for as long as he was
able, his mind unable to full accept what it was he
was seeing. The reality of his situation was becoming
all the more frightening as he began to realize that
these rag-tag creatures were meant to be his new
owners.

A sudden jolt between his shoulder blades snapped
Obi-Wan from his shocked state. He instinctively
rolled onto his back, unmindful of his bound wrists
digging into the small of his back, so as that he
could see who and what has caused that flash of pain.
What he saw was a metal pole, the end of which was
practically vibrating with the energy stored in it.

"G'zanta ne!"

Not understanding the language, Obi-Wan stared up at
the hooded figure in confusion. He was jabbed a second
time with the pole, this time in the stomach, for
failing to follow whatever instructions had been given
to him. The pain was sharp and Obi-Wan contracted his
body inward in order to make as small a target as
possible.

"G'zanta ne!"

Before the sound had even died on the air, Obi-Wan was
prodded a third time. There had been enough
gesticulations on behalf of the hooded being that he
was able to determine that he had been ordered to
stand up. Once the pain had faded to a tolerable level
he complied with the order. Only to stumble a moment
later as he electrifying pole was touched to his side
a fourth time.

"M'van!"

The fifth jolt had him moving along with the group
towards a flock of animals held in wait behind a
nearby dune. Before they had even reached the mounts,
Obi-Wan knew that there would not be one for him. Sure
enough, he found himself surrounded by the short
creatures, each of them pointing one of the
electrified prods towards him. One of the binders was
released from his wrist and his hands were quickly
brought in front of his body before the binder was
replaced. With the possible threat of his escape gone,
a rope was tied between the two cuffs and then to the
saddle of one of the beasts. For good measure he
received a jab right above the waist of his trousers
that nearly sent him down on one knee.

Obi-Wan had no time to correct his balance before the
beast to which he was attached was spurred forward. In
the loose sand he was only able to maintain his
footing for a short distance. Between the speed and
the uneven footing, Obi-Wan soon found himself on his
knees and then as the forward motion continued, being
dragged behind the animal. He held onto the rope as
tight as he was able, hoping for the chance to right
himself somehow, but the chance never came. The coarse
sand cut into his flesh, scraping away at his skin,
and it was all he could do to force the pressure onto
his hips and rear where he skin was at least protected
by the thing material of his trousers.

Once again, unsure if he could even be heard, Obi-Wan
silently pleaded for Anakin. Some unknown part of his
mind continued to insist that this Anakin person was
the safety he so desperately craved.

*Anakin... please.*


Part V


Anakin had spent the past hour nursing a single drink.
A few well-placed questions had led him to the Silver
Bail as the most likely place to gain information. The
Silver Bail was more or less in the center of the
settlement and all news had a way of ending up there.
For the right price he could find out anything,
including what had happened to Obi-Wan. All the while
he had heard brief rumblings of something occurring
the previous afternoon and, following the trail,
Anakin had seen its source. There had been some type
of fight that had been violent enough to destroy a
merchant stall. Within the wreckage of what had once
been the wooden structure, Anakin had sensed Obi-Wan's
presence. And while he was relieved not to find his
master's body, the blood that he did find was not a
comfort either.

"You look for Jedi?"

The Slitherian who approached him, a tall,
mottle-skinned humanoid, immediately had Anakin's full
attention. "Yes. I'm looking for a Jedi. He would have
arrived yesterday. His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Jedi talk. Attacked. Lots of shots. Then crash." The
Slitherian's use of the Republican Standard was
stilted, but he got the message across quite clearly.
"Jedi hurt badly."

Anakin swallowed, pursing his lips. "Was he alive?"

There was a slight pause, then, "Live? Yes, live." The
Slitherian took several exaggerated breaths to
indicate that Obi-Wan had still been alive. "Jedi
live."

"Do you know where he was taken?"

Anakin received a negative response that time. He
thanked the Slitherian, offering to buy him a drink,
but when he turned back from summoning the bartender,
he was gone. Anakin ordered himself a shot of Dengoli
vodka, downing it as soon as the bartender placed it
in front of him. Obi-Wan was alive, or had been the
day before. It wasn't much, but it was a start. A very
good start.

Returning to his earlier drink, Anakin began to wander
through the crowd. He didn't speak, but kept his ears
open for any mention of his master. If he could just
figure out the direction Obi-Wan had been taken he
could better pinpoint what had happened to the older
man after the attack in the market. Or at least have
some vague idea of where he had been taken.

"... back from Coruscant."

"We get paid then?"

"We get paid then."

That snippet of conversation had Anakin's whole
attention. Keeping himself out of sight, Anakin
watched the three traders as they got themselves well
and truly drunk. They were celebrating. It made his
job infinitely easier. Anakin felt hopeful for the
first time all day. Very soon he would have Obi-Wan
back safe with him.



When the tribe finally stopped and he was released
from the back of the animal, Obi-Wan curled in on
himself in a desperate attempt to relieve the pain
that consumed him. The act offered no comfort, though.
The pain did not fade as he had hoped. He was not
offered time to wait out the pain either, being
prodded and kicked into a more upright position.
Obi-Wan wavered on his knees, his vision swimming
drastically. He would have toppled forward were it not
for the metal pole that was pressed to the center of
his chest. Thankfully it was free of any type of
electric charge, but his full weight leaning on it was
painful nonetheless.

Tilting his head back, Obi-Wan stared up at his
captors who were conversing with each other. He could
not understand a single word of it, try as he might.
There was a sudden loud sound from behind him and
Obi-Wan instinctively swiveled his head around to see
its source. That quick movement had his barely
oriented vision wavering once again, bile rising in
his throat. He didn't fight it when the edge of his
vision began to darken. It was a blessing when the
blackness swallowed him up.



"The timetable must be advanced," Darth Sidious
instructed his apprentice.

The minute hologram of Count Dooku nodded
respectfully. "As you will it, my master. I will
inform the viceroy immediately."

"I am leaving this in your hands, Dooku. I have other
matters to attend to. Matters of a very serious
nature."

A small alarm sounded, signaling that someone was
approaching his office. Sidious scowled briefly then
ended his communication with the fallen Jedi. The
holographic image had only just faded when the door
opened to admit Palpatine's aide, Uv Gizen.

"The senator from Malek would like to have a word with
you, Chancellor."



Anakin tensed as he watched the beings disembark
almost simultaneously from the two cruisers. It was
not their numbers that worried him, but rather their
professions. Growing up on Tatooine, Anakin had no
difficulty recognizing a slaver. The fear that he had
abandoned earlier upon learning that Obi-Wan was alive
returned fully with this revelation. That his master
had been betrayed into the hands of a slaver was no
mere accident. It was that deliberateness that would
likely seal his master's fate. Obi-Wan would not have
been sold to a benign master like Watto. Obi-Wan would
be in far harsher hands.

"I hope that you gentlemen are ready to retire," a
purple-haired female said as she approached the small
crowd gathered in the shuttle hanger. "We have been
paid a fortune for what amounts to a single day's
work."

Anakin felt himself vibrating with rage. Those people
were celebrating Obi-Wan's misfortune. Or what Anakin
had already decided was his betrayal. Obi-Wan had
spoken of an ally in the Ranth'fer system, but Anakin
could find no sign of an ally among the lot. His
fingers itched to grab up his lightsaber, but he
forced himself to be restrained. He would learn
nothing if he killed them all before discovering what
had become of his master. At the moment, finding
Obi-Wan was his top priority. Revenge would have to
come second.

"Provided that you have all done your jobs," she
finished, glaring at the group emerging from the
second ship.

"Kenobi was delivered to the raiders," one of the
slavers confirmed. "By now he'll be wishing he was
dead."

Before he could stop himself, Anakin had his
lightsaber in his right hand. He managed not to ignite
it, but it was a close thing.

"Lord Sidious will be glad to hear it."

At that Anakin nearly dropped his lightsaber. The more
information he gained, the more worrisome the
situation became. First they had been separated by the
Senate, then Obi-Wan had been attacked by slavers, his
Force signature restrained... on the orders of the
mysterious Sith lord. Rather than fearing what would
come next, Anakin felt only rage. It consumed him. At
the moment he had no place to focus his anger and the
Force around him crackled with that rage.

"I believe that its time to celebrate," the woman
mused, her smile broad.

For Anakin that was the final straw. He ignited his
lightsaber and stepped out from behind a stack of
storage crates, glaring at the slavers. There was a
swagger to his steps, one that he exaggerated as one
by one the slavers became aware of his presence.

"You are all fools." By the time he spoke the words
they were all staring at him. "Do you truly believe
that your newfound wealth will save you when you have
just endangered the only form of restraint I have ever
known?"

"You are outnumbered boy," the woman sneered as she
removed a blaster that had previously been concealed
within her trenchcoat. "Obi-Wan was defeated by only
half this number."

"Obi-wan believes in restraint. I harbor no such
constriction."

Opening himself up to the will of the Force, Anakin
attacked. He deflected each blaster shot, sending it
back towards the slavers. Once he had advanced close
enough, none of them stood a chance. He slashed and
cut, entirely on the offensive. These fools had made a
great mistake in siding with the Sith lord. They would
die for it."

"You kill me you'll never find him!"

Anakin stilled his blade a mere inch from the
purple-haired woman's throat. "Do you really think
I'll believe anything you say?"

"Can you risk not believing me?" she countered, her
eyes flickering from the glowing blade to his face and
back again.

"Anakin tensed, but did not lower his blade.”I suppose
that you'd have me spare your life in exchange for the
information."

"Of course."

"Of course," Anakin echoed. She was too confident. Try
as she might she couldn't conceal the smug expression
that tugged at her lips. "Tell me where he is."

"And you'll let me live?" she prompted. Her very
essence was coated with slick putrid fear.

Anakin lifted his blade a hairsbreadth closer to her
chin. "Tell me."

"They took him to Tatooine," she gasped out, squeezing
her eyes shut tight. "Handed him over to a tribe of
Tusken raiders."

The words had barely left her lips when Anakin shoved
the glowing blue blade through her throat. The scream
that he thought was hers he only belatedly recognized
as his own. It was a scream of anger, of rage, and of
despair. The Tusken were a vicious, horrible race,
savage in their actions. If Obi-Wan was vulnerable in
any way he would be in serious danger and likely to be
killed by those terrible creatures.

I'm coming for you, Obi-Wan. Hold on....



His arms ached from being suspended above his head for
so long. It was a welcome respite, though. Bound to
the timber frame of the hut he was free from his
duties. Duties that he still did not wholly comprehend
since he could not understand the language they were
given in. His failure to comprehend the orders had
left him in a great deal of pain. The prods were a
minor inconvenience when compared to the electrowhip.

He had almost given up hope that this Anakin would
come for him. Obi-Wan wanted to believe that Anakin
would have already come for him. That he wouldn't have
allowed him to suffer so much. In the back of his
mind, Obi-Wan knew that he could not count on this
phantom person to help him. He couldn't even be
certain that Anakin was a real person.

So he clenched his fists and began to pull his arms
down. He tugged and twisted the limbs about, hoping to
loosen his restraints. The coarse ropes cut into the
tender flesh of his wrists and he had to bite into his
bottom lip to keep from crying out as the pain
increased. Blood dribbled down his arms, but it did
not stop him.

"Senuk eh!"

All too late Obi-Wan realized that he was not alone. A
youngling, a youth of the tribe, had entered bearing
food which Obi-Wan was in desperate need of. As the
child bolted from the hut, Obi-Wan was certain that he
would not be allowed the meal that had been brought to
him.

"This is not good," Obi-Wan murmured, slumping against
the side of the hut.



"Meet again, young Skywalker, we do."

As he had sprinted across the plain that spread out
beyond the settlement, Anakin had noticed the presence
of another shuttle similar to Obi-Wan's. Given his
abrupt departure from the Temple he had half expected
to be followed. That it was to be Yoda and Mace Windu
who came after him surprised Anakin.

"Master Yoda, Master Windu," Anakin greeted as he
slowed his approached to a walk. "I trust your journey
was well."

"Your wit and charm will not avail you, Skywalker,"
Windu scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You
disobeyed a direct order."

"My master is in danger and it is my duty to rescue
him," Anakin countered, bypassing the two Jedi masters
as he turned towards his starfighter.

"Skywalker--"

"This is your fault!" Anakin screamed, whirling to
face them. "You and the rest of that Sith-begotten
Council sent him here alone. You let yourselves be
ordered around by the Senate and because of you
Obi-Wan was captured by slavers."

Yoda shuffled forward a few steps. "Our intention,
this was not."

"Your intentions be damned!"

"Careful, young Skywalker, you must be. Close to the
Dark Side, you treat. To the Force, your rage must be
released," Yoda instructed. The small creature paused
a moment, his pointed ears twitching briefly. "Your
love as well, I sense."

Anakin glared at the diminutive Jedi master. "No. I
will not deny anything."

"Release it or a Jedi you cannot be."

"Then a Jedi I am not."

Yoda shook his head sadly. "Rash, your actions now
are. Regret them, you will, when cooled your head
has."

"Not if I can save Obi-Wan," Anakin sighed. He bowed
low to the two Jedi masters then called for R2-D2 who
had been mucking about between the ships. "Let's go,
Artoo. We need to hurry."

There was a slight pause, but as he climbed the ladder
into the cockpit of his starfighter Anakin was certain
he heard Yoda murmur a final farewell.

"May the Force be with you, young Skywalker."


Part VI


Dexter Jettster, like most everyone else on Coruscant,
watched the latest report on the HoloNet with a great
sense of unease. Normally he didn't pay much attention
to it, but kept it on for the sake of his customers
who liked to gripe and argue about politics. That
afternoon he was ignoring the lunchtime customers in
favour of watching the speech the Supreme Chancellor
was giving.

"That it should come to this," Palpatine sighed, his
shoulders slumped and his head bowed as though he
carried the weight of the galaxy. "Like the rest of
you, for many long years I have kept abreast of the
exploits of the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin
Skywalker. They are a team, united in the cause of
peace like no others I have had the pleasure to know.
And I can say without fear of contradiction that they
are stronger when they fight together....
Unfortunately the Jedi Council did not agree.

"Yesterday, while we all slept soundly in our beds,
Master Kenobi was sent out alone on a mission to the
Ranth'fer system. It is my grave misfortune to
announce that he will not be returning from this
mission."

In the pause that followed, Palpatine turned to his
aide in order to receive a covered object. Removing
the cloth he revealed to all watching what it had
covered. A lightsaber.

"This lightsaber was sent to me with a message from
the traders and slavers of the Ranth'fer system for
the Republic to stay out of their affairs," Palpatine
announced as he held the Jedi weapon before him. "The
separatists rule that system and they spit in the face
of all that we hold dear. They have murdered one of
our own: a Jedi Master and a diplomat who had gone to
them in search of peace.

"Our thoughts must now turn to young Anakin Skywalker.
Driven beyond reason by his master's senseless death,
young Anakin has himself gone to the Ranth'fer system
to avenge this foul deed. And it is now up to us. At
this very moment, there is in the Senate a bill being
discussed that will allow the Republic to form its own
army. With this army we can properly defend ourselves
against the separatists who grow more daring with each
passing day. How soon before we are at open war?

"Against such a force, can we truly hope to survive?"
Palpatine's gaze once again returned solemnly to the
lightsaber. He then looked back to the camera as
though to hold the eye of the public and the
transmission ended.

When the HoloNet broadcast ended, Dexter found himself
unable to look away from the screen. It was
incomprehensible that Obi-Wan could be dead. The man
had more lives than a Vintruvian cat. Having heard the
complaint often enough from the Jedi, Dexter knew that
a lost lightsaber did not a dead Jedi make.

"Hey, Dex, I want my food!"



Tatooine. Anakin had always thought that when he
returned to the desert planet it would be to free his
mother. And while he still had every intention of
doing just that, at the moment Obi-Wan was his primary
concern. Once he had ensured his master's safety,
Anakin meant to find her. His fate with as a Jedi was
now uncertain and the Council could no longer keep him
from his mother.

Setting his starfighter down at the edge of Mos
Eisley, Anakin went off in search of a speeding,
leaving R2-D2 to his own devices. He could only hope
that the droid wouldn't get into any trouble. With any
luck Artoo would be able to track down C-3PO and his
mother while he was searching for Obi-Wan. Shmi and
Obi-Wan had never met and Anakin wanted the two most
important people in his life to finally be in the same
room.

The starfighter Anakin used as collateral for the
speeder he was loaned to search the near endless
deserts of Tatooine for his master. He packed all of
the supplies necessary for and extended stay in the
desert should it become necessary. Lots of water and
blankets, food as well, and the medikit from the
starfighter. The kit was not fully supplied and having
run out of things to barter with, Anakin hoped that
Obi-Wan was not seriously injured as he only had
supplies to treat the worst of his injuries.

After riding out beyond sight of Mos Eisley, Anakin
brought the speeder to a stop. He cut the engine and
climbed off, taking several deep breaths before
lowering himself to the ground. Tatooine was simply
too big for him to merely choose a random direction
and begin his search there. Whatever had silenced his
master's presence to the Force would also hinder his
tracking of Obi-Wan. So, settling himself cross-legged
on the sand, Anakin cleared his mind of all things
except the task before him. Patience and meditation
had never been his strengths. Had he the time Anakin
would have driven out into the desert and begun his
search at random. With Obi-Wan in the hands of Tusken
raiders that was not an option.

Anakin was not certain how long he sat under the two
harsh suns of Tatooine, but eventually the Force began
to whisper to him. He could feel it pulsating around
him, sharing in his concern for Obi-Wan. When he
opened his eyes Anakin knew where he was going.
Unfortunately, by that time, the second of the two
suns was setting and Anakin knew that he could go no
further that day. It was not safe to travel the desert
alone at night, not even for a Jedi. The shifting
sands could be deceptive in the moonlight and, Jedi
powers or no, he would still be in danger. Being still
for so long also alerted Anakin to the fact that he
could not remember the last time he had slept. And if
he were to free Obi-Wan from the Tusken raiders he
would need to be rested.

Still, rational as these thoughts were, Anakin did not
want to sleep. Every minute that he hesitated was
another that Obi-Wan was in danger.

"Be safe," Anakin murmured as he curled up against the
side of the speeder. "I will come for you soon."



"Clouded, his future is," Yoda mused as the shuttle
entered hyperspace on the return trip to Coruscant.
"But twined with Obi-Wan's it most certainly is."

Mace frowned, leaning back in his seat. "We never
should have allowed him to train Skywalker. We were
too sentimental after Qui-Gon's death."

"Leave Skywalker vulnerable to the Sith such an act
would have. Better to have trained him and risk what
follows it is," Yoda insisted, stomping his walking
stick on the ground for emphasis.

"I hope you're right," Mace sighed, scrubbing a hand
over his face.



Lying flat along the crest of a dune, Anakin scanned
the Tusken camp for any sign of Obi-Wan. It was the
third such camp he had found that day. Nearing dusk,
Anakin feared that the Force had let him down and had
taken him far away from his master. Lowering the
scanners, Anakin sighed dejectedly, thinking that once
again he had failed to find Obi-Wan. Anakin squeezed
his eyes shut tightly, Anakin howled silently into the
sand.

"I'm sorry," Anakin moaned, clenching and unclenching
his fist in the sand. "I'm so sorry, Master. I thought
I could--"

"I don't know what you want!" a very human, and very
familiar voice shouted.

Every muscle in his body tensed when he heard
Obi-Wan's frantic scream. He had heard many such
shouts over the years, particularly when he was
piloting a ship, but never before with such fear.

Keeping himself low to the ground, Anakin slid down
the back of the dune. He would not wait any longer
than necessary to free Obi-Wan from those vile
creatures. Obi-Wan had already been at their mercy for
far too long already. So, being as quiet as possible,
and masking his presence with the Force, Anakin sidled
up behind the last row of huts, peeking through the
flaps in the hide coverings for sign of his master.

It was the shoulders that Anakin recognized first. The
figure was sprawled upon the hard-packed earth, lying
mostly on his front, drawing Anakin's attention to the
broad shoulders that were now covered with dirt, grime
and blood. So much blood. For all the breadth of the
shoulders, the torso and waist tapered down far more
significantly than Anakin could ever remember. With a
breath he could see the outline of ribs. A bantha
howled from the other side of the camp and the body
flinched, curling in on itself. It was the pathetic
whimper that drifted to his ears that finally forced
Anakin's limbs to respond.

"Obi-Wan," he gasped, staggering the final few steps
to where the older man lay before collapsing onto his
knees. "Force.... Obi-Wan...."

Anakin reached a hand out to touch his master's
trembling shoulders. Obi-Wan reacted as though he had
been touched by a live wire. He scrambled to a
crouched position, turning his body towards Anakin as
he backed away as far as he was able. When he could go
no further, a wall preventing his escape, Obi-Wan
began to whimper again, the noise louder and more
keening as he clawed at the wall. Anakin ducked his
head down, trying to catch Obi-Wan's gaze in hopes of
gaining some sense of his master's mindset as the
collar molded to his throat like a second skin
prevented Anakin from reading his Force signature.

"Obi-Wan, please," Anakin murmured, extending a hand
towards the crouched figure. It pained him to see the
injuries that covered Obi-Wan's body. Large gashes,
skin rubbed raw, scraped by sand, angry welts.... So
much pain in so little time, the thought of it created
a lump in his throat that he could barely swallow
past. "It's me. Anakin. I've come to take you away
from here."

Obi-Wan regarded him quizzically at that. Uncertain.
"You're real?"

When Obi-Wan extended a trembling hand towards him,
Anakin immediately took it. A moment later he found
himself with his arms full as Obi-Wan launched himself
forward. Obi-Wan didn't make a sound, but clung to
him, his face pressed into the crook of Anakin's
shoulder.

"Force, Obi-Wan, what happened to you?" Anakin moaned,
holding the older man as tightly as he dared. With
feather-light touches he stroked his fingertips along
Obi-Wan's spine, nuzzling his lips against his
master's temple.

The only response that he received to his question
were a few mucky sniffles as Obi-Wan held him still
tighter.



Anakin was real. Obi-Wan had convinced himself that
Anakin was a mere figment of his imagination, someone
he had made up to comfort himself. That Anakin was
real enough to touch. He could feel Anakin's arms
around him, solid and warm. Obi-Wan clung to him,
fearful that Anakin would disappear the instant he let
go.

"You're real," Obi-Wan whispered into Anakin's
shoulder, rubbing his cheek against the course fabric
of his shirt. "Real. Real.
Realrealrealrealrealrealrealreal...."

"Hush," Anakin chastised quickly, his mouth so close
to Obi-Wan's that he could feel Anakin's breath that
he could feel it against his lips. "We have to be
quiet."

Obi-Wan squeezed his mouth and his eyes shut tight,
desperate to stifle any sound he might have made. He
knew what would happen if he made noise. They would
come again and they would hurt him again. They would
hurt Anakin.

"Senuk eh!"

Obi-wan whipped his head around at the sound,
stumbling away from Anakin. The child was back and had
once again caught him doing something he should not.
Only this time Anakin was here and they would hurt
Anakin as well.

Anakin hurried towards Obi-Wan, crouching down in
front of him and holding his gaze. "Please stay here,
Obi-Wan. I will be back."

Anakin's lips touched his forehead and then he was
gone, disappearing from the hut. And he was alone
again. Then the shouts started and Obi-Wan knew that
there was fighting. Anakin was fighting back against
them.

Clinging to the frame of the hut, Obi-Wan began to
pull himself up to standing. He continued holding onto
it as he slowly made his way towards the door,
stumbling more than once. He had to protect Anakin
from them. He didn't want Anakin to be hurt like he
had. Obi-Wan fell to his knees when he no longer had
the wall to support him. His arms gave out next, but
not before he caught sight of Anakin. The weapon that
he fought with was frightening. A beam of light.

Spitting out the sand in his mouth, Obi-Wan rolled
onto his back. He stared up at the sky, trying to make
sense of what he had just seen. At the moment there
was none, just a strange throb against his temples. It
soon became painful and with the sun it was better to
keep his eyes shut. So he did.


Part VII


Anakin felt a bolt of fear go through him when he saw
Obi-Wan lying on the ground near a cluster of huts.
With the blood that already covered him, Anakin
couldn't tell whether he had been hurt again. The
Tusken were all dead, each and every one of them.
Obi-Wan would lecture him about it later-- about
giving into his anger --but Anakin didn't care. Those
creatures had hurt Obi-Wan, had tortured him, and
deserved all that Anakin had done to them.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin shouted as he slid to the ground
next to his master.

Obi-Wan mumbled something non-sensical, turning his
head away from Anakin. It was almost comical, or would
have been had the situation not been so dire. Anakin
lightly ghosted his fingertips briefly over Obi-Wan's
shorn scalp, hoping for some type of reaction from his
master. What he hadn't expected was for Obi-Wan to
lean into his touch and murmur his name. And despite
himself, Anakin felt tears pricking at the back of his
eyes. He barely choked down a sob, curling his upper
body around Obi-Wan, hugging him close.



"Our spies tell us that the Ma'ha woman and all of her
cohorts were killed yesterday," Uv Gizen informed the
Chancellor once he had finished detailing the other
important Republic news. "The money, however, was not
touched. Save by our spies, of course."

"Of course," Palpatine mused, summoning Kenobi's
lightsaber into his right hand. He hefted its weight,
gazing at it without really seeing it. "Any clue who
the the killer was? The young padawan perhaps?"

"The initial reports would indicate that, yes," Gizen
confirmed, glancing up briefly from his datapad. "In
all likelihood he has already determined Kenobi's
location."

The lightsaber fell to the desk with a hollow thud.
"Of that I am most certain. Anakin is an intelligent
boy. That intelligence and his rage will make him the
perfect apprentice."



"Help us! Someone, please! We need help!"

Anakin clutched Obi-Wan more tightly to him as he
brought the speeder to a stop next to the main
buildings of the moisture farm. Obi-Wan moaned
slightly at the sudden loss of forward momentum, his
eyelids fluttering briefly. Anakin tenderly cupped his
cheek, brushing his thumb over his cheek, hoping to
coax him back into wakefullness. For the briefest of
seconds the wandering blue-grey eyes met his own gaze
before his eyelids slid closed again.

"Anakin?"

At the sound of his mother's voice, Anakin's head shot
up, eyes wide in shock. "Mom?"

"Ani, I don't believe it. You're really here," Shmi
gasped, bringing her right hand up to her mouth.

Anakin could only stare at her, his mind unable to
fully process this latest shock. When he had seen the
moisture farm, Anakin had only thought of finding help
for Obi-Wan who hadn't woken since he had found him
sprawled on the ground. He also needed to find some
way to remove the Force inhibiting collar and with the
repairs that always needed to be done on the farms,
Anakin had hoped to find the necessary tools.

"Shmi, what's going on, love?" a man asked as he
emerged from behind the building.

Obi-Wan's solid weight against his chest snapped
Anakin from the shock at seeing his mother for the
first time in nearly a decade. "Mom, we need help.
Obi-Wan was betrayed into the hands of the Tusken
raiders and--"

"No need to explain, boy," the moisture farmer cut him
off, striding towards him. "Shmi, go gather the
medikit while Anakin and I bring-- Obi-Wan, was it?
--into the house."

Anakin held Obi-Wan protectively against his chest as
the other man approached. "I've got him. Just show me
where I can take him. I'll need some tools, though.
For the collar."

"Follow me then."

With only a slight boost from the Force, Anakin
cradled Obi-Wan against his chest as he climbed off of
the speeder. The moisture farmer was waiting for him
and fell in step beside Anakin as soon as he was close
enough. Anakin wasn't sure how to act around the man.
He was helping them now, but Anakin had every
intention of taking his mother with them when they
left. Anakin wouldn't let his mother remain a slave
when he had the power to save her.

"My name is Cleigg Lars. I suppose that I'm your
step-father," the moisture farmer said casually as
they neared the house.

"But aren't you...." Anakin drifted off, not wanting
to finish the thought.

Cleigg bobbed his head from side to side. "I'll admit
it, I did buy her contract from Wattoo. But I
destroyed it before I married her. She's free now."

"Do you love her?" Anakin asked, his gaze dropping
briefly to Obi-Wan who was still as ever.

"Aye, I do," Cleigg said without hesitating. "I love
her very much."

"Good."



In all of her dreams, Shmi had never thought that her
son would return to her splattered with blood, bearing
another more severely injured man before him on a
speeder. A man that she could tell he loved very
dearly from the tender way Anakin had held him. The
careful way that he had touched Obi-Wan. The gentle
way Anakin was now dabbing the blood from his cheek.

"Is he one of the Jedi?" Shmi asked her son, handing
him a fresh cloth.

"Obi-Wan's my master," Anakin whispered, stroking the
pad of his thumb across the injured man's cheek. "He's
been training me since Qui-Gon died.... He's my best
friend."

"To inspire such devotion from you he must be a good
man."

Anakin flashed her a brief smile, his eyes still
incredibly sad. "The best I know."

"He would have to be to have managed you all these
years," Shmi teased, hoping to lighten the mood even
as she rinsed the gritty sand from the deep scratches
along Obi-Wan's left side. She sobered up a moment
later, pursing her lips. "I'm grateful that it's not
you lying here, Ani. I don't know what I'd do if it
was you lying here."

"It wouldn't be me," Anakin said solemnly, stopping
what he was doing to stare down at the unconscious
man. "Obi-Wan wouldn't have let something like this
happen to me. He would have been with me and this
wouldn't have happened. The slavers wouldn't be able
to defeat the both of us. And if I had been there, I
wouldn't have let this happen to him. I've been a
slave before, I could handle it better."

"Yet I do not think that he would agree with you."



At first everything was bright. Everything around him
was blurred together in various hazy shades. He could
feel a very solid presence next to his right hand,
though. Obi-Wan blinked, hoping to clear his vision,
as he turned his head to see what was lying next to
his hand. A moment later it became a question of who.
His eyesight had cleared enough so that Obi-Wan could
tell he was lying on a bed, the figure next to him
resting with his upper body supported on the mattress,
the fingers of his right hand very close to Obi-Wan's
own. The angle obscured the man's-- for the being was
obviously male --features, but there was one
distinctive feature that tugged at Obi-Wan's rather
depleted memory.

A long slender braid.

"Anakin," he sighed, stretching his fingers until they
brushed against the very tip of the braid. Catching it
between his middle and index finger, tugging it
lightly.

Obi-Wan startled when, a moment later, Anakin bolted
upright, leaning over him. Anakin must have noticed
this because his next movements were far more
controlled. He very lightly cupped a hand along
Obi-Wan's cheek, soothing his thumb along the upper
swell of his cheekbone.

"You had me worried," Anakin whispered, touching his
forehead to Obi-Wan's. "You've been asleep for more
than a day."

"Sorry," Obi-Wan muttered, barely resisting the urge
to yawn.

"Don't be sorry," Anakin chastised quietly, shifting
his hand so that his fingertips could massage soothing
circles against Obi-Wan's temple. "For once you have
an excuse. And you have my word that I won't tell
Master Yoda how long you slept."

Obi-Wan could only stare at Anakin in confusion.
"Who's Master Yoda?"



Anakin stared at Obi-Wan for several long seconds,
waiting for the other man to arch an eyebrow or
otherwise show that he had been teasing him. That
moment never came and Anakin slowly came to realize
that Obi-Wan was being serious. There was no deception
in his eyes. Just exhaustion and the lingering feeling
of pain.

"Don't worry about it," Anakin whispered, forcing away
the unnerving thoughts that filled him. "Just rest.
Things will be better once you've had some time to
rest."

Obi-Wan furrowed his brows, his head shaking slightly.
"Tell me what's going on."

"Nothing is going on," Anakin lied, masking the words
with a smile.

One that Obi-Wan didn't believe. "Please. Don't lie to
me."

"I don't know what's going on," Anakin amended, bowing
his head. When he met Obi-Wan's eyes a moment later,
he offered up a slight smile to hopefully lighten the
mood. "I have some ideas, but I really don't know
what's going on. Give me some time, please?"

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, sinking back into the thin
pillow under his head. "Can you at least tell me how
we know each other? Are we friends?"

"The very best of," Anakin whispered, tears pricking
at the corners of his eyes.

"I'm glad," Obi-Wan sighed, his eyes drifting shut.

Anakin sat silently beside the bed watching as Obi-Wan
drifted off to sleep. At that moment getting up and
doing something was beyond him. He was still wrapping
his mind around the fact that Obi-Wan had forgotten
everything. Except for him. Obi-Wan knew him, Anakin
didn't question that. There had been recognition in
his eyes. That was something which could not be faked.
His relief had been too genuine; very raw and
uninhibited. The blow his master had taken to the
temple certain hinted at the cause for his absent
memories. There was a large gash that started about
his left eyebrow then cut through it before finally
ending half an inch past his hairline. And though
Anakin knew that he should take Obi-Wan back to the
Jedi Temple so that the healers could examine him, he
felt safer here on Tatooine with his mother. Shmi was
the only other person he trusted besides Obi-Wan.

"Ani? I brought you some lunch," Shmi said quietly as
she entered the room a few minutes later. Setting the
tray down on the bedside table, she ran her fingers
through his hair. "Ani, you have to eat. I let you get
away with not eating breakfast, but I won't allow you
to starve yourself with worry."

"He doesn't remember anything," Anakin said, his eyes
never straying away from Obi-Wan's still form. "He
doesn't know about the Jedi, or what had happened to
him.... I'm not even sure how well he remembers me. He
knows my name, but he didn't know what we are to each
other. Obi-Wan had to ask if we were friends."

"It's quite telling that Obi-Wan remembers you at
all," his mother pointed out, her hand never stilling
against his scalp. "He must care for you very deeply."

Anakin brushed his fingertips along the heel of
Obi-Wan's palm, watching the fingers curl upwards
briefly. "Obi-Wan's been everything I've known since I
was nine."

"Then there is no one better to help him remember himself."


TBC . . .

Back to Adult Fiction Archive